WEAPONISING MISINFORMATION WILL NOT SHIELD ANYONE FROM THE LAW

WEAPONISING MISINFORMATION WILL NOT SHIELD ANYONE FROM THE LAW

By Chilufya Kasonde

The recent narrative advanced by Emmanuel Mwamba regarding the arrest of Richard Kaunda Mulenga is not a defence of justice. Instead, it is a calculated political manoeuvre designed to delegitimise lawful institutions and inflame partisan sentiment. Let us be clear: this is not “persecution.” It is law enforcement.

The Facebook page “Zambia for All 2026” published what was presented as a resignation letter attributed to Hakainde Hichilema, the sitting Head of State. Fabricating or circulating false presidential communications is not activism. It is not satire. It is not harmless political expression. It is a reckless act capable of triggering national instability, market panic, and constitutional uncertainty. To trivialise such conduct is irresponsible.

Mr. Mwamba’s claim that Richard Kaunda Mulenga “sold the page” to Charles Kakula and, therefore, cannot be investigated is legally naïve at best and deliberately misleading at worst. In cybercrime investigations, digital footprints do not disappear because someone claims a transaction occurred. Administrative access, archived credentials, linked accounts, financial flows, and content history are all subject to forensic verification.

The Zambia Police Service, particularly its Cyber Security Unit, operates on evidence, not social media declarations. Arrest does not equal conviction. It initiates due process. What is troubling is the attempt to portray law enforcement as vindictive simply because the investigation touches politically aligned individuals. That narrative by Emmanuel Mwamba seeks to send a dangerous message: that certain actors are untouchable if they cloak themselves in opposition politics.

Zambia is not a playground for digital anarchy. If there are diaspora actors involved, such as Charles Kakula and Khondwani Banda, international cooperation mechanisms exist. But no one should expect that living outside the country grants immunity while local associates absorb the consequences.

The louder the political outrage, the more it appears that the real objective is not justice,  but pressure. We must reject the politicisation of criminal investigations. The courts, not Facebook commentators, determine innocence. If Mr. Richard Kaunda Mulenga severed all ties to the page, evidence will establish that. If not, the law will take its course.

A functioning republic does not suspend investigations because a politician cries “persecution.” Accountability is not oppression. Law enforcement is not revenge. Due process is not dictatorship. Zambia must remain governed by the rule of law, not by the volume of political noise. Emmanuel Mwamba knows he is involved, and he knows his time is catching up to answer for his involvement.